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Developing now, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019
KAVANAUGH REDUX: The Democratic Party practically - almost literally - has its own Brett Kavanaugh case as a trio of scandals have left the government leadership in Virginia in chaos ... In the latest bizarre twist, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax has retained the same law firm that represented now-Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was going through the confirmation process and faced decades-old sexual misconduct allegations, Fox News has learned. Meanwhile, the woman accusing Fairfax of rape, Dr. Vanessa C. Tyson, meanwhile, has hired the attorneys who represented Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Kavanaugh's accuser, who alleged that he'd thrown her onto a bed and muffled her screams at a high school party.
These latest developments amid a report that Tyson made her allegations against Fairfax known to Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia over a year ago. Fox News has not been able to confirm this report. In addition, a new scandal in Virginia politics surfaced on Wednesday. State Attorney General Mark Herring posted a lengthy statement on Wednesday admitting he, too, had donned blackface during a college party in 1980. He admitted donning a wig and brown makeup to look like a black rapper while at a party at the University of Virginia.
Amid all this chaos, Democratic calls for Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to resign over racist yearbook photos appeared to have died down. Fairfax and Herring follow Northam in the line of succession to the governorship. If all three resigned, Kirk Cox, the conservative Republican speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, would assumes governorship and Democrats do not want to give up that power.
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WARREN'S 2020 DREAMS MAY BE IN JEOPARDY: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Wednesday was once again forced to apologize for claiming Native American ancestry on a 1986 registration card for the Texas state bar, and left the door open that there may be more documents out there with a similar claim ... Politico reported that Warren, who apologized last Friday to the Cherokee Nation for revealing the results of a DNA test last autumn that showed just a trace amount of Native American lineage, was asked if there are any other documents where she claimed the ancestry.
"So all I know is during this time period, this is consistent with what I did because it was based on my understanding from my family's stories," she said. "But family stories are not the same as tribal citizenship." Questions about Warren’s heritage date to at least 2012, and the senator can't seem to put the controversy behind her. She had been planning to formally launch her presidential campaign on Saturday.
- RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany: Instagram removed my Warren post
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)
TRUMP SLAMS NEW RUSSIA PROBE, 'POLITICAL HACK' SCHIFF: One day after President Trump decried what he called "the politics of revenge" and "partisan investigations" in his State of the Union address, Democratic House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff announced a new, wide-ranging probe into the president's foreign business dealings and Russian election meddling ... The move was fiercely condemned by Trump, who called Schiff a "political hack" on a partisan search-and-destroy mission. The Intelligence Committee on Wednesday also voted to hand over a slew of interview transcripts to Special Counsel Robert Mueller that were generated by the panel's previous Russia investigation, which was conducted under GOP leadership and found "no evidence" of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government in the 2016 election.
- DOJ to investigate plea bargain awarded to Clinton-linked sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but watchdogs say probe is tainted
TRUMP WANTS MORE LEGAL IMMIGRATION: President Trump on Wednesday said he wants to increase the number of people who legally migrate to the U.S. "because our unemployment numbers are so low" ... Trump, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, said there is an influx of companies "coming back into our country," and that people legally coming into the U.S. are needed to fill those positions. "We have seven car companies coming back in right now and there's going to be a lot more," Trump said. "We've done really well with this, and we need people."
REMEMBERING BOB MASSI: Bob Massi, longtime legal analyst and host of "Bob Massi is the Property Man" on Fox Business, died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. He was 67... A Las Vegas fixture known for his long, lion-esque, gray mane, Massi provided legal insight for more than 20 years in high profile trials for the "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson and Timothy McVeigh.
His talk radio program "Your Legal Hour" was a staple on KDOX 1280-AM for 20 years and he had hosted "Bob Massi is the Property Man" on Fox Business since 2015. Bob Massi is survived by his wife Lynne, sons Dominic and Robert, his daughter Genna, two brothers, Albert and James, and six grandchildren.
THE SOUNDBITE
'100 PERCENT' CONFIDENT THERE'S NO PLAGIARIAM - "All I can tell you is I certainly didn't plagiarize in my book, and you know, there are 70 pages of footnotes showing where I got the information" – Jill Abramson, the former executive editor of the New York Times, on "The Story with Martha MacCallum," disputing allegations that she plagiarized portions of her new book. WATCH
TODAY'S MUST-READS
Marc Thiessen: America's political center is up for grabs. Trump just made a real play for it.
Rep. Steve Scalise says House Dems refused to let him testify at gun violence hearing.
Newt Gingrich: Trump's State of the Union changed history on Tuesday night – Here's what Pelosi must've felt
MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Maria Bartiromo interview: Russia, ISIS oil collaboration will fail, Pompeo says.
JCPenney will stop selling appliances at the end of month.
Trump says U.S. is a net energy exporter: Fact check.
Trish Regan Exclusive: Trump’s World Bank nominee says his focus is median income growth for countries.
Ben Carson: Trump should get credit for record-low minority unemployment but he doesn't.
STAY TUNED
On Fox Nation:
Roger Stone on Judge Napolitano's "Liberty File" - Former Trump adviser Roger Stone said Monday on Fox Nation's "Liberty File" that the indictment brought against him is part of a "political prosecution." Watch a preview of the show now.
Not a subscriber? Click here to join Fox Nation today!
On Fox News:
Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Kelsey Harkness, a senior writer at the Heritage Foundation and senior news producer at the Daily Signal, on chaos in Virginia; Dr. Peter Kash, former adjunct professor at the Wharton School, on millennials and capitalism; Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst, on Michael Cohen’s testimony; Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council; U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on ISIS; U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio and ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, on border wall talks; Roger McNamee, co-founder of Elevation Partners, on Facebook.
Your World with Neil Cavuto, 4 p.m. ET: Special guests include: U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.
On Fox Business:
Mornings with Maria, 6 a.m. ET: U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
Lou Dobbs Tonight, 7 p.m. ET: U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.
On Fox News Radio:
The Fox News Rundown podcast: Marie Harf, co-host of "Benson & Harf" discusses what to expect from the second scheduled summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. There are growing concerns that China is targeting U.S college campuses to influence what is taught about China and to possibly recruit spies. Fox News' Eric Shawn and Rachelle Peterson, policy director of research at the National Association of Scholars, discuss. Plus, commentary by Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News senior judicial analyst.
Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.
The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: Virginia's political chaos, new House investigations on Russia and the latest in the 2020 presidential race will the hot topics of debate with Chris Wallace, host of "Fox News Sunday," U.S. Rep Michael Waltz, R-Fla., Dana Perino, host of "The Daily Briefing" and Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union.
The Todd Starnes Show, Noon ET: RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany discusses trio of scandals involving the top Democratic leaders in Virginia, the latest on the border wall negotiations and her controversial Instagram post about Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
The Tom Shillue Show, 3 p.m. ET: Mike Rowe, host of the Facebook series "Returning the Favor," joins Tom to discuss jobs and the country's political divide.
Benson & Harf, 6 p.m. ET: Guests include: Charles Hurt, Fox News contributor and Washington Times columnist and Dan Drezner, professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and contributor to the Washington Post.
#TheFlashback
1964: The Beatles arrive at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to begin their first American tour.
1962: President John F. Kennedy imposes a full trade embargo on Cuba.
1812: Charles Dickens is born in Landport, Portsmouth, England.
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Friday morning.
